Railway Approach 1940's and New Century Road 1950's

Does anyone remember

In the 1940’s I lived in Railway Approach with my grandparents, the Barrets.  It was then compulsory purchased and the family moved to ‘Radcliff’ New Century Road.   There used to be a sweet shop on the corner and it was owned by the Griffins.  They had two daughters Jeannette and Christine.  Does anyone have any information on the Griffin girls?

Editor:-  The family’s name and the name of the shop was actually Griffin.

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  • I lived at Rooksdown, New Century Road from the time I was born in 1952 to 1963 when our family moved to Upminster. Our house was a semi with the Griffins who did indeed own the sweet shop on the corner. I remember two daughters, Christine and Jeanette, but not Tom.
    I used to be sent down to buy 10 Churchmans for my mum but she always let me take an R Whites bottle or a Corona bottle to get the 1p back so I could buy some sweets.

    By Trevor Clegg (12/03/2020)
  • The shop was owned by and operated by Tom Griffin who lived in New Century Road (Delmage). He had 3 children… Yes Christine, Jeanette… And a son Thomas Patrick (known as Patrick). My mother was Tom’s sister and was married to a local postman Bert Vowell. We lived in Alexander Road, Langdon Hills until I was 11.

    By Marlene Lander née Vowell (05/06/2019)
  • Just flicking though and saw this.  I was born at no. 40 New Century Road in 1962, my mum still lives in the road but not in that house.  I remember a sweet shop but we use to call him Old Tom? I also remember Slopers, I can even remember the handle!  I will have to ask mum about any daughters, but maybe you have found out this info seeing as it was 2 years ago!

    By Laura Thatcher (13/08/2015)
  • Hello there Rosemary. I used to live in New Century Road from 1963 to 1973 and having lived near Markham’s Chase from 1945 through my childhood can remember the sweet shop on the corner of New Century Road. I do not remember any girls there but the man who ran it was a Mr. Griffin so presume he was their father. We do have a very nice photo of the sweet shop which we are hoping to publish on the archive one day to enhance the High Road plan that is already on the site. If you wanted a copy I am sure one of our editors could organise this if you wanted it.

    By Ann Rugg (26/09/2013)
  • I always knew the sweet shop on the corner as Smarts. It may well have been owned by the Griffeth family, however, and simply continued to be referred to by its former name. It seems that this happened sometimes. One example that comes to mind is Sayers the grocer (fifty yards past the cop shop heading north after the Hiawatha). Despite being subsequently sold to Sloper most people continued to refer to it as Sayers.

    By Alan Davies (21/09/2013)

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